entrepreneurship

Scaling My Writing Business into an Agency Model Changed My Life

(But not in the way you’d think)

Anangsha Alammyan

26 Aug 2025 • 4 min read

The author pictured with her iPad working on her business (Image provided by the author).

(But not in the way you’d think)

When I quit my engineering job to become a full-time writer, money was a big driving factor.

I wanted to earn more by working less. The natural next step felt like hiring people. I started small, with a writer to help with the first draft.

But as clients kept saying yes and money was finally flowing in, I built a team: four writers, an SEO guy, a content manager.

On paper, it looked like everything I’d been working toward.

But sometimes, the dream you chase turns out to be a cage.

This isn’t another “I quit my job and magically found my way to freedom” stories. This is a story of the trap I led myself into after becoming a full-time writer.

It’s a story of what dreams cost, and how redirection can sometimes be the best decision you take for your business and your mental health.

Growth Can Sometimes Feel Like a Trap

The funny thing about scaling is that it doesn’t necessarily mean freedom.

The agency model wasn’t working out like I’d planned in my head. I thought my team would handle all the work, while I sipped mimosas by the beach.

Instead, every project still circled back to me. If I didn’t do the final edits, clients noticed.

I once submitted an article without going over it one last time. The client sent in a strongly worded about how they hired me based on my published work, and they didn’t expect sub-par submissions.

That stung. I’d slipped up, trusted my team too much, and it almost lost me the client. This reality check made me sit up straight.

I knew I couldn’t submit anything without going over it in detail, no matter how hard I trained my team.

So, I worked extra hard on every draft my team submitted: adding my flair and making it SEO-friendly while sounding relatable.

It was fun, but I was almost always occupied.

Taking a vacation was impossible. Heck, I even worked through most of the weekends.

I started writing because I wanted to tell stories, play with words, make something of my own. That part of me was buried deep, silenced. There was no room for creativity anymore.

I knew I had to stop. I didn’t quit my 9-to-5 just so I could entrap myself in another 9-to-9. The harsh truth was clear: the agency model sure looked glamorous from the outside. But it wasn’t meant for me.

Dreams Come True, But at a Price

I kept asking myself: wasn’t I supposed to be free by now?

I didn’t leave a “safe” career track just to create another prison, albeit one with my name on the door.

It was humbling to admit it out loud. Embarrassing, even. Like I had chased growth for growth’s sake and lost sight of why I started at all.

But ignoring it wasn’t sustainable. I couldn’t keep working until 1 AM every night, only to wake up the next morning and immediately start editing article submissions sent in by my team.

Eventually, I did the hardest thing: I let a client go. Then another. And another. Until I could no longer afford to pay the writers, and the agency crumbled upon itself.

Starting Over, This Time on My Terms

I stopped running my business like an agency.

I pared it down to what felt honest. I kept the parts I loved, said no to the parts that drained me, and let my business become small enough to feel like mine again.

For almost two years after that, I survived on the bare minimum. I made just enough every month to pay the bills, but I was happy because I had enough time to do the things that truly made me feel alive.

Running from paycheck to paycheck wasn’t something to be proud of. But I knew I was the biggest asset for my business. I couldn’t afford to burn out.

And at the start of 2025, I finally found ways to make more money than the agency model. And this time, I did it on my own terms.

Now, I choose projects I actually care about. I set boundaries and stick to them. And when I say yes, it’s because I want to, not because I’m afraid to say no.

It’s quieter than before but it pays 10x more. I only have to work a couple hours every day. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world (at least, not yet).

A Note to Fellow Solopreneurs

We don’t talk enough about this: not every business is meant to scale.

Sometimes the bravest thing isn’t growing, but shrinking. You need to cut out the noise so your work actually feels like your own again.

If you’re building something, remember: the point isn’t just to grow bigger. It’s to build a life that feels like yours. Even if it means tearing down what you’ve built and starting over.

Because at the end of the day, freedom isn’t about the size of your business. It’s about waking up and looking forward to working on your dreams. It’s about having that spark in your heart that comes from the satisfaction of knowing you built a life you’re truly proud of.

If you enjoyed reading this, follow me on Substack to see a more honest, unfiltered side of my journey.

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